Freshly fired from her third job in a row, Bonnie St. James has lost her way. So when she and her best friend stumble upon a “help wanted” post to run a coffee shop in the Scottish Highlands, they apply on a whim. Who knows? Maybe traveling to a new place is just what she needs to figure out her next move.
When the friends arrive in the tiny idyllic town of Corsekelly, they instantly fall for the gorgeous Highland landscape and friendly townspeople. But Bonnie finds a less-than-warm welcome in Rowan MacGregor, the rugged local handyman. Busy wrestling his own demons, Rowan’s in no mood to deal with the quirky American—even if she is a bonny lass.
As Bonnie and Rowan’s paths inevitably cross, insults—and sparks—fly. Can the pair build on their similarities to help each other find purpose and direction…and maybe romance too? Or will their passionate tempers fling them apart?
My Review
I picked this up thinking it would be a light, fun read, and honestly it starts off exactly that way. We meet Bonnie right as she has a chaotic and memorable encounter with Rowan, aka the ultimate grumpy Scotsman. It definitely gives grumpy x sunshine vibes from the start.
Bonnie is on a six month vacation in Scotland, and she is hilarious. Her decision to move there with her best friend is completely impulsive, and their dynamic is full of quick one liners that genuinely made me laugh. If you have ever traveled with way too much luggage, their arrival alone will have you cracking up.
Both Bonnie and her best friend Dakota are looking for a fresh start, an adventure to help them heal and figure themselves out after past relationships. The small town setting adds to that charm, especially with Rowan being the local handyman and tied into the community through his family’s coffee shop. It is very coincidental, but it does make the story feel cozy and easy to fall into.
A stormy hike brings Bonnie and Rowan closer together, and from there it is a lot of tension, banter, and clashing personalities. Bonnie is sassy, Rowan is very set in his ways, and they are constantly at each other’s throats.
That said, I did find myself wanting more depth from Bonnie. At times it felt like we learned more about Dakota than the main character, which made the romance feel slightly unbalanced. There are a lot of physical descriptions and moments of chemistry, but the relationship itself is slow to fully develop.
When things finally do get steamy, it feels earned, but the pacing getting there is uneven. Dakota’s presence throughout the story is strong, and there were moments where I questioned if the emotional focus leaned more toward her relationship with Bonnie than the romance itself. There is a lot going on with themes of self growth, insecurity, and identity, especially through Dakota’s storyline, which includes LGBTQ+ representation.
As the story progresses, things do get more emotional and even a bit heartbreaking for both Bonnie and Rowan. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic is definitely there, but some of the heavier moments did not hit as swoony as I expected.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and the humor, but it did not fully land as a top romance for me. It is fun, messy, emotional at times, and has a lot of character driven moments, but the romance itself did not completely pull me in the way I hoped.
If you would like to read or listen to The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite I earn on qualifying purchases.
If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Small Town, Grumpy, Sunshine, and LGBTQ+.
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